The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-12-10

p lnies to their bond. They cannot pay |
t cir debts; the roads themselves
would not be sufh Mt b satisfy the
Obligations, and the government can
not hope to get more than these II
foreclosure shall be ordered. THE
HERALD has ever held that it would be
gross injustice to hold these pioneer
companies to the literal satisfaction Of
the obligations imposed and accepted
quarter OF a century ago. 1t is not be
lleved that 1t was the intention TO so
mold the corporations, and if it were the
intention time a. circumstances have
so changed matters as to not only make
it Impossible to comply but to make
the attempted enforcement OF a com
plance a harsh and unauthorized ex-
ercise Of power. As has heretofore
been urged in these columns, ii the
government shall never receive dollar
OF the money which it loaned to the
builders of the first transcontinentai
line, twill lose nothing; the invest
ment3Was the wisest and most remuner
ative, in a national sense, Of any ever
made by the government. The roads
opened an empire Of territory which.lhey
firmly bound 10 the Union; they made it
possible for millions of Americans to
find homes.and the means of living
and these pee pie have alreedy enriched
the nation to the extent of many times
the amount which the government
loaned or gave to the railways. There
are many equities in the case, and these
are of greater importance in arranging
a plan of adjustment than the strict
provisions of unyielding law. One of the
equities is the fact that the original
builders of the road are not the owners
of it to-day. If any penalties are to be
imposed they will not fall upon the
wrong-doers, if there have been wrong
doors, but will descend largely upon the
innocent.
1t may be asked why we
favor leniency towards the Pacific roads
in this matter. TIE explanation is
ready enough. In the first place,
leniency in this instance means
justice, while the opposite would
be cruelty wrong. In the next place, to
be lenient would be to give the com
panles d chance to satisfy government
without wrecking themselves. To
pounce down upon them now would
simply destroy them and with them
governments hope of recovering its
money; if time shall be allowed the cor
poratioRs may be able to satisfy the
just claims of their creditors and at the
same time save themselves. II is of still
greater Importance to the communities
served by this great railway and to
adjacent communities that might be |
served by it, that the companies be
neither crushed nor grievously handi- |
capped. Utah is to-day suffering |
because of the unfriendly atti-
tude of the government towards the |
subsidized corporations, and so are
other States and Territories; if it had
not been for the constant attack upon
the companies, the threat W ich has
kept the corporations in fear and
trembling, vast area of country would
to-day be tributary to the main line by
means of branches which the managers
dare not construct though knowing that
to build these branches would prove re-
as well aS open and develop
new country. If the government shall
put its heavy hand upon these delin-
quent corporations, and demand salts
faction of its bond, it VIII strike a
severe blow to western interior progress
and development, and will destroy the
chances of recovering its money.
It is sincerely to be hoped that the
Commission will be wise as well
as just in its report and recommends
tiens. If it will take into account the
conditions and circumstances as they
exist and not as the law implies that
they shall be, and will suggest an
equitable plan of adjustment, the pio-
neer transcoHtnental railway Will |
boom again, as viii the Two thousand |
miles of country travelled by it.
H0mprrI SopS rDUCATtoE hos haap triad |